WITCH at Hogwarts!
by littledoggy
Summary: WITCH gals are going to Hogwarts!There they will find new allies, as well as the famous Harry Potter and friends. Review? Tell me your ideas and ratings and I'll try to follow them. No flames, please!
1. Chapter 1

Hello readers! This is my first W.I.T.C.H. story, so I hope I did it right. Review and tell me your ratings, please!

Disclaimer: I do own neither W.I.T.C.H. nor Harry Potter. So sad.

**A Change of School**

"Uh, Cornelia?" Will whispered to her friend next to her. It was History period now, and both Cornelia and Will were bored to tears by Mr. Collins' rambling about some boring, ancient history.

Cornelia cocked her head. "What is it, Will?"

"The Heart of Kandrakar. It's glowing." Will showed her the Heart that popped out of her palm. It was glowing brightly, even pulsing gently.

"I think the Oracle is summoning us," Will concluded.

"This time, I'm very pleased to leave." Cornelia yawned and elegantly placed a hand over her mouth while doing so.

"Vandom! Hale! What are you whispering about?" Mr. Collins yelled from the front of the class. Both girls jumped. They weren't alone. Most of the students had dozed off and now woke up, startled.

"Um, Cornelia wants to go to the washroom, and she, uh, asked me to accompany her. Yeah, that's it," Will stammered, forming a random story to get out of the classroom. Cornelia glared at her but nodded anyway.

"Every one wants to leave my class! Can't they just sit back and enjoy beautiful history?" he complained.

"But History is…interesting'! We just need to go to the washroom for a few minutes!" Will said. Beside her, Cornelia feigned vomiting on her table. Luckily for her, Mr. Collins did not notice.

"Fine, get out of my class. When you get back there'll be a quiz waiting for you concerning what we learned today." Mr. Collin grumbled.

Will and Cornelia dashed out of the room in a hurry. They could feel dozens of eyes following their every move as the rest of their classmates looked on with envy. Both girls sighed in relief when they rounded a corridor, safe from the glares of their friends.

Will started to walk down the corridor, which ended with the science laboratory. Will peered in. Sure enough, Irma, Hay Lin and Taranee were grouped together, doing an experiment.

"So now we must add a 200ml of milk into this experiment," Irma muttered, leaning on the table. "Boring."

"Just add it already!" Taranee snapped, too engrossed in the experiment to bother talking properly to her friends.

Will knocked timidly on the door of the lab. Miss Doris looked up and beckoned her to come in. Will walked in with Cornelia in tow.

"Uh, Miss Doris?" Will began.

The teacher raised an eyebrow. "What is it, ah, Will Vandom, am I right?"

Will nodded. "May I talk to Taranee, Hay Lin and Irma for a moment?"

Miss Doris pointed in the direction of the three friends. "Go ahead. They're right there."

Will thanked the teacher and hurried to meet them. "Uh, Hay Lin? Irma? Taranee?" Hay Lin and Irma looked at her, but Taranee remained focused on the experiment.

"What's up Will?" Hay Lin asked in her usually bubbly way.

"I think the Oracle's summoning us. Can you three find a way to get out of class to meet Cornelia and me in the washroom?"

Irma nodded. "Sure thing. As long as we can get out of this class! What about you, Taranee?" She elbowed Taranee, who dropped the measuring cylinder she was holding. Milk spilt all over the gray floor.

"Miss Taranee Cook!" Miss Doris shouted exasperatedly. "Can't you be more careful? Go to the storeroom and bring a mop to clean up this mess."

"Yes, Miss Doris," Taranee said meekly, glaring at Irma. "Can Irma and Hay Lin follow me? I'm afraid I don't know where the storeroom is because I've only been here for half a term."

"You have been here for half a term and you're telling me you don't know where the storeroom is?" the teacher asked incredulously. Taranee shook her head, her glare trained on the Water Guardian in front of her.

Miss Doris sighed; she had a lot to do. "All right. Lair, Lin, show Taranee to the storeroom. Vandom, Hale, are you done?"

"Yes teacher. We'll be going now. Thank you!" Will yelled over the noise of students. "Come on girls."

"You better have a good reason for this," Taranee growled.

"You hate cleaning?" Irma suggested. The latter opened her mouth to snap at her but was interrupted by Will.

"The Oracle summoned us. We have to go now." Will was in total control mode. Reluctantly, Taranee bit back her comment and followed Will. So did Irma. She wasn't one to go against Will, not when she knows how angry she can be.

"Okay, ready girls? Hold hands and focus on our destination: Kandrakar!" Will ordered, standing in the middle of an empty washroom, the Heart resting on her palm. Their astral drops stood a distance away from them. Poor Astral Taranee, she had to clean up a mess she didn't make!

The four girls obeyed and clasped their hands. Taranee gripped Irma's hand, hard. Irma yelled and pulled her hand out of Taranee's grip.

"What is it?" Will asked grumpily. Irma pointed at the Fire Guardian.

"Ask her."

"I didn't do anything!" Taranee protested.

"Why you -" Irma yelled.

"STOP IT!" Will shouted, louder than Irma. "Irma, you change places with Cornelia. NOW!"

"Yes Will." Irma said meekly and changed positions with her enemy. Cornelia wore a smirk on her face. Irma stuck out her tongue and took her place next to Will.

"Now hold hands and focus on our destination and MAKE SURE YOU DO IT!" Will snarled. The four Guardians flinched. Will was seldom this mad. But she was not angry. She was only worried.

All five girls held hands, shut their eyes and thought hard about their destination: Kandrakar. The Heart hovered above them, glowing. In a flash of brilliant light, the five girls disappeared.

….

"Welcome, Guardians. I have been waiting for you." The Oracle's voice floated down to the pedestal where the five Guardians of the Veil now stood. They bowed in respect to him. The Oracle was very old, yet his features spoke otherwise, for he looked young, albeit a hairless head. He wore robes made out of iridescent cloth, woven so fine that the stitches could not be seen be the naked eye. Tibor, his advisor, trailed behind him, faithful as always. Unlike the Oracle, Tibor appeared old, with wrinkles on his face and a white beard that flowed nearly to the floor.

"We have been watching you, as you all know," the Oracle began. Will and her companions listened attentively.

"I have held a meeting with the Congregation, and we all agree that you cannot control your powers well yet. Some of you even abused this power I gave you." Here he looked meaningfully at a particular Water Guardian. Irma turned red and looked down to the floor.

"Therefore, we have decided to send you to a school of magic."

Gasps of surprise followed this statement. Will stepped forward to speak.

"But sir, I don't mean to be disrespectful," Will started. "but how can we go there? What about our lives on earth?" The four Guardians behind her nodded fervently.

"That has be taken care of," Tibor spoke beside the Oracle. "Your astral drops shall remain there while you train at Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts? Never heard of that thing. Is it some sort of a new disease?" Irma joked. Tibor glared at her. The Oracle simply looked at her witheringly.

"Hogwarts is a school of magic. You will go there to study and not to play, so I hope that the five of you know the difference between work and play. Since you all are thirteen to fourteen of age, you shall be placed, at our request, in the third year." Tibor said sternly.

"Yes sir. When will we be leaving?" Will asked politely.

"What about…right now? The term starts on the 1st of September, that is today." the Oracle suggested. More gasps followed.

"N-now sir? But can – can we see our parents? You know, we won't be seeing them for a year, so…." Will faltered.

The Oracle pondered his answer for a moment. "Alright, you may see them once before you leave." He said at last. "But I will erase their memories of you meeting them so as to avoid complications."

Will and the others were hurt but they had to comply. Either that or not see their parents at all. "Okay."

"Close your eyes…." The Oracle commanded. A bright flash of white light engulfed the Guardians. A moment later, they disappeared.

….

WILL

Will fumbled about with the keys to her house. "Hm…nope, locker key, room key, padlock key…where is that blasted key to the front door!" she grumbled in frustration. She hit the doorbell by accident.

"Doesn't matter. No one's at home anyway."

Imagine her shock when a woman with dark blue hair opened the door. "Will? What are you doing here?" Susan Vandom asked.

Will stared at her blankly for a moment. "Mom? Why are you home this early?"

"There was no work at the office, so I came home."

"Oh."

Will stood at the doorstep awkwardly.

"Why are you standing there like a statue? Come in," Susan said, breaking the silence. Will obeyed and fell onto the couch.

"Mom, I have to tell you something."

"What is it, dear?" Susan asked, sipping a cup of tea.

"I'll be going away soon, so I have some things to tell you. Could I hug you first?" Will asked tentatively. Susan was surprised at the request but pulled her daughter closer to her anyway. Both mother and daughter hugged each other tightly for a few moments. Tears started to drop from Will's brown eyes.

"Mom…I'll miss you."

_What is Will talking about? Is Sheffield thinking of a transfer?_ Susan thought, ruffling her daughter's flaming-red head of hair.

Will pulled away from Susan, a little reluctantly. "Now for the second thing: I am going away to study magic. The cause? This." She held out her palm in front of her. Before her mother's astonished eyes, a pendant appeared. It seemed to spring out of Will's hand. It was beautiful, with swirling pink on the inside of the sphere, encased in glass, with a clasp to hold it in place.

Will exhaled to prepare for her mother's shock. "Here goes. Guardians Unite!"

"But Will. What -"

….

IRMA

Irma rang the doorbell of her house, too lazy to pull out her keys. Mrs. Lair opened the door. "Irma! You're back early! But why didn't you use your keys?" Irma's mother asked, puzzled.

Irma shrugged. "Too lazy. Mom, I need to talk to you and dad. Is he home?" She peered hopefully inside, looking into the living room.

Anna nodded. "He got off early today, not unlike you. Come on in."

Irma went in after kicking her shoes off. Most surprisingly, she didn't slam the door shut behind her like she used to. She actually turned around to shut it gently! Anna stared.

"What has got into you? You used to slam it, deafening me."

"Nothing. Can you sit beside Dad? I need to tell you some things."

Anna agreed and sat down beside Mr. Lair.

"What's all this about?" he asked gruffly. He didn't like to be interrupted while he was watching his favourite show, especially since his free time came only once in a blue moon.

"You daughter needs to tell us something," Anna explained. "Go on, Irma."

Irma took a deep breath. "Okay. One, I'm going to study somewhere else. Two, I'm going there because I'm magic. You might think of me as a magical pixie who rushes around to save the world," she tried to joke lamely. Both her parents were dumbfounded.

"Then – huh?" Irma gasped. A blue teardrop had appeared in front of her. She nodded grimly. The teardrop swooped forwards and into Irma. With joy, Irma felt her muscles lengthening, her face changing. Eyes that made her feel that she was filled with wisdom. Best of all, a pair of beautiful wings appeared on her back. Not to a mention totally cool outfit that seemed to be made just for her.

Completing her transformation, she turned to face her parents. Their mouths opened and closed, like a fish out of water. No words came out.

"But how -" Mr. Lair started.

"Third: I'm going to miss you." Irma said and launched herself into her parent's arms. The three of them hugged each other tightly.

….

CORNELIA

"You are a _what_?" Mrs. Hale snapped.

_They're not taking it well. Whoopee._ Cornelia thought. Her father stood beside his wife, pretending to read a novel, which was upside down.

"I am magical, mom."

"I don't believe it." Mrs. Hale countered.

Cornelia was about to retort. "So what?" but was interrupted by the appearance of a green swirling drop. It hovered before her for a second.

"I'll prove it."

The green teardrop blended into her. She transformed, her limbs lengthening, muscles toughening, becoming dazzlingly beautiful. Her hair grew longer and silkier, partly obscuring the pair of wings that sprouted from her back.

"Do you believe it now?" she asked her dumfounded parents.

"You-you're joking. This is unreal!" Mrs. Hale gasped, holding onto an armchair to steady herself. Even her father had stopped pretending to read and now looked at her as if she were crazy.

"It is real, Mom, Dad." Cornelia said sadly. Her had hoped that her parents would understand, support her. Her hope was shattered.

"Big sister?" Lillian called from the top of the stairs. She ran down the stairs. Suddenly, she tripped. "Whoaaaah!" she screamed.

"Lillian!" Cornelia yelled. She beckoned the magic within her. A green stream of magic escaped from her finger. The stairs immediately straightened itself, becoming a flat plane. Lillian slid down safely.

"Whew," Lillian sighed in relief. Mr. and Mrs. Hale exhaled; they had been holding their breath.

"Thanks sis!" Lillian yelled and tackled Cornelia, hugging her legs, for that was the highest she could reach. Cornelia patted her head, her vision obscured by the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.

"Goodbye Lillian. I'll miss you." she whispered as she hugged her sister. Her parents came over and hugged both of them, forming a family hug.

….

HAY LIN

"What?" Joan Lin stared at her daughter. Hay Lin donned a fancy outfit, with _wings _sprouting from her back. She also looked wiser.

"Yes, your daughter is a Guardian, like I once was." Yan Lin's voice sounded from the passage. A strong smell of jasmine oil announced her arrival. "The Air Guardian, to be precise." She smiled at Hay Lin. Her granddaughter smiled in return.

"A-Air Guardian?" Joan Lin asked faintly. Her husband looked dubious.

"Yes." Yan Lin repeated. "I'll explain it to you. Hay Lin, go and pack unless you have any unfinished things you would like to do."

"There is one." Hay Lin said tearfully. She flew into her grandmother's open arms. Yan Lin beckoned imperiously to Hay Lin's parents. They came hesitantly and placed their arms around the two. "I'll miss you all…." Hay Lin cried.

….

TARANEE

"Taranee! Why are you wearing that outfit?" Theresa Cook called from the hall. Taranee had appeared at the top of the stairs, already in Guardian form.

"Because this is what I look like." Taranee replied. Peter whistled.

"Do you always look like this, sis?"

Taranee shook her head. "No, only when I transform to fight against evil."

Theresa scoffed. "As if I would believe a cock-and-bull story like that."

_I knew she wouldn't believe it. She's always about facts, proof…_.Taranee sighed inwardly.

"I'll show you."

Taranee pointed at the grate, where a fire was burning merrily. A stream of orange magic, Taranee's magic, appeared from the tip of her index finger. It swirled around the fire in the grate. She beckoned. The fire floated over from the grate and danced about in the air.

"What are you doing! You could get hurt! Put that fire down at once!" Theresa barked. Taranee shook her head. The fire changed its shape, writing the words '_Theresa Cook_' in the air.

"Now do you believe me?" Taranee asked. Theresa nodded. So did her cool surfer dude of a brother.

"Sis, I'll support you. Don't worry. Mom will accept it." Peter said seriously. Taranee shed some tears and hugged her brother tightly. She disappeared in a flash of light. At the same time, the Oracle erased the memories of the witnesses.

….

"Are you ready, Guardians?" the Oracle asked. All the Guardians had returned, a little sad. Will and Cornelia were still sniffing. Nevertheless, they nodded.

"There is a vault for each of you in the Gringotts Bank, just to inform you, is run by goblins. Goblins," he confirmed, seeing the Guardian's baffled looks. "Never try to deceive them. Anyway, here are your vault keys."

Five silver keys appeared in the air in front of each respective guardian. Will reached out to grasp the key. The others did likewise.

"Now, since this news was told to you so suddenly, the Congregation knows that you will not have the time to shop for your things in Diagon Alley. Therefore, we have requested that you five can buy your things tomorrow." Tibor said. The Guardians cheered.

"I hope there will be lots of funky stuff there!" Hay Lin said hopefully.

"It is time." The Oracle announced. "Goodbye, and do not reveal your identities, whatever you do."

"Yes, sir." Will's faint voice was heard as she and the rest of the group disappeared in a flash of white light.

"Are you sure you did the right thing, Oracle?" Tibor asked.

"No one knows. Time will tell," the Oracle said serenely as he floated off to rest.

----------

So how was it? I hope to hear from you. Rate my story, pleeeeeeeaaaaaaassse!


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own the third book of the Harry Potter series (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), I only borrowed it from a friend, and that was years ago. So forgive me if it does not really follow the original storyline.

**Disclaimer:** I do own neither W.I.T.C.H. nor Harry Potter. So sad.

**Entering Hogwarts**

….

Harry thought deeply about the happenings since a fortnight ago. How he had accidentally blown up his Aunt Marge, his weird experiences with the Knight Bus when he spotted a great hulking outline in the shadows, illuminated by his the light given out by his wand. Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, was awaiting his arrival at the Leaky Cauldron. Harry recalled how distracted and frightened the Minister had been, and how relieved he was when he had found Harry. He knew why now.

Sirius Black was on the loose. And from what he gathered from the talk between Mr. and Mrs. Weasley (which he wasn't suppose to know by the way), Sirius Black was after him. Harry laughed mirthlessly. First Voldemort, now Sirius Black. Can't the baddies leave him alone?

Besides that, the Dursleys didn't sign his permission form to allow him to visit Hogsmeade. That really was a sting. Harry was ready to bet that every other student's permission slip was signed. Even Cornelius Fudge couldn't do anything.

Then that pain in the neck that goes by the name of Draco Malfoy came sauntering into his compartment with his two loyal buddies, Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy had started teasing Harry and Ron Weasley. Luckily, he had spotted Professor Lupin in the carriage and decided to back off for the moment.

To top it all off, a cloaked figure appeared at the doorway of the compartment. Its face was hidden by a hood. Harry shivered involuntarily as he remembered the scabbed hand protruding out of its sleeve, glistening, grayish and slimy, like something that had decayed in water….

The disgusting figure, known as a Dementor, opened its mouth and sucked the air. Instantly, Harry had felt very cold, as if he would never experience happiness again. Then the screaming began. But it wasn't him. According to Ron and Hermione, he had fallen to the floor and began twitching convulsively. Professor Lupin had driven the Dementor out by shooting silver stuff from his wand. Harry recalled how sick he felt after the incident. And now here he was, being fussed around by teachers and Madam Pomfrey like a sick child. He hated it. Especially when Madam Pomfrey suggested he stayed the night in the hospital wing. Merely thinking about what Malfoy will say if he did was torture. Harry sighed unhappily. He will have to bear the teasing of the Slytherins for the next few days. And school just started, too.

….

"Whoa." That was all Irma could say when she saw the huge, majestic castle that housed Hogwarts School of Wizardry. The others agreed with her. Even Cornelia looked mildly impressed at the sight, and _she_ had a luxurious bungalow to live in. Taranee looked at the castle in awe. She imagined the amount of books it might hold inside and chuckled gleefully. Will smiled softly. She knew what crossed Taranee's mind. Books. Tons and tons of books, filled with knowledge for her to absorb. Taranee is a bookworm. Everyone knew that.

"Firs'-years this way!" A loud voice called. The W.I.T.C.H. gang turned around and gasped when they saw the source of the voice. The man belonged to was easily twice a normal man's height. His bushy beard and moustache only made him look more ferocious, and it did _not_ help calm down the gang's shock.

A little too late, they realized that the giant of a man was heading towards them. "Oi! You five! Are yeh the new students?" he boomed. Will flinched but decided to trust him. So did the others.

"Um…yes, we are, sir. I am Will," Will said.

"I'm Taranee."

"Irma."

"Hay Lin."

"And last of all, I am Cornelia."

"Nice to meet you!" All five chorused.

"Nice to meet yeh too. Name's Rubeus Hagrid. Just call me Hagrid," he grunted. "Now follow the rest o' the students to the Sortin'. Wouldn't wanna miss tha'. Go on."

Hagrid shooed them towards the general direction of the crowd. The five teenage girls didn't fail to notice that all the students wore black robes and pointed hats.

"Hey, we're going to be real witches!" Irma said. The rest couldn't help but agree.

"C'mon guys! We have to hurry! We're late enough as it is," Will commanded.

"Yes Miss Will!" the others chimed in glee. Will turned red and turned away. Giggling hard, the rest followed. They were met by a stern-looking teacher at the door leading to the Great Hall.

"Are you the new transfer students?" she asked sharply. All five nodded. She had a way of making them feel they had done something wrong. Even Irma, the group's jokester, kept silent.

"Yes Madam," Will started to say.

"Please address me as Professor McGonagall. You will address each teacher here as 'Professor' or 'sir'. Is that understood?" she asked. The girls nodded mutely.

"I am Will, and these are Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin." Will announced. Each girl smiled when introduced to the strict teacher. Professor McGonagall nodded curtly.

"Good. Now I'll introduce you to another new girl. Elyon Brown," she said. A girl peeked out behind Professor McGonagall. Her hair was made up in two shaggy bangs that almost hid her elfin face.

"Hi guys!" Elyon chirped. The W.I.T.C.H. gang was shocked for the second, no, the third time that day when they saw the one and only Elyon Brown, the Light of Meridian. Cornelia's eyes were brimmed with tears. With a happy scream she ran towards her old friend.

"Oh Ellie! I've missed you so much!" she cried as she pulled her friend into a tight hug. Elyon hugged her back.

"I've missed you too. You and your friends," Elyon said with a happy smile. Will smiled warmly in return. Even Taranee did. She had forgiven Elyon since she found out that Elyon was only being used and did not have an inkling about her brother's evil doings.

"Wait. If you're here, then who's taking care of Me -" Will frowned but was interrupted by Elyon.

"It is in Caleb's and Vathek's hands. And I don't want anyone to know that I'm a queen, okay?" she hissed. Will nodded dumbly.

Professor McGonagall looked slightly surprised. "It seems that you already know each other. Very well then. I shall introduce you to the next girl, Serena."

Another girl came forwards out of the shadows. She gave the six girls a shock. She had hair that grew to her shoulders, which was a very deep blue, almost black. Her eyes were a shade of dark brown. She would look pretty if she had replaced the expressionless face with a smile. Unlike the W.I.T.C.H. gang, she already wore robes, although these were tattered and torn. Cornelia cringed in disgust while the others simply stared at the newcomer.

"Hi," Serena said dully. They greeted her in return. Not knowing what to say, they continued to stare at the girl, who stared at them out of expressionless eyes.

"Last of all, Erica Stevenson." Professor McGonagall said. "Erica?"

A small petite girl peeked out from behind the Professor's back. She had shiny brown hair that reached to her elbows and sapphire-blue eyes. She had a fair complexion and a shy smile on her face that made her look like an angel. On closer inspection, she was only as tall as Hay Lin, the youngest of the group.

"Hi girls!" she said merrily. Her blue eyes twinkled as her smile widened into a cheerful grin. The W.I.T.C.H. gang and Elyon took an instant liking to her, with the exception of Serena who was staring blankly at the wall in front of her. She was one of those people who make others feel as if they couldn't resist befriending her.

"Okay. Now that you've introduced each other, let's go into the Great Hall. You need to be Sorted before anything else. Potter and Granger, I want a word with you two," Professor McGonagall said briskly to two baffled students, one a boy and the other, a girl. The group of six huddled close together while Serena walked alone. Meanwhile, McGonagall marched the boy and the girl, known the newcomers as Potter and Granger, into a room.

"What do you think the Sorting will be like?" Irma whispered as soon as Professor McGonagall was out of earshot.

"I dunno. Perhaps they'll let us face a test then determine where we shall be." Hay Lin shrugged. "Whatever it is, just go on with the flow!" she bubbled, cheering up the dismal mood that surrounded her friends.

"I agree!" Erica chimed, skipping alongside Will, whom she seemed to take a liking to.

"Stupid children," Serena muttered under her breath. She will not enjoy Hogwarts at all.

Finally, all eight girls stepped foot into the Great Hall. They gasped in awe. The Great Hall really lived up to its name. It was huge. Four long tables were placed neatly in four rows. Many students were already seated there, all chattering cheerily.

"Look! Up there!" Taranee gasped. Her friends followed her gaze to the ceiling. Now it was their turn to exclaim. The roof was not visible. Instead they could see stars, millions of them, along with several planets that appeared tiny. The stars shone brightly down on them peacefully. Will felt her shoulders relax as she admired the scene. Serena simply took a look and turned away to look at the teachers. Eleven teachers sat on a table, with two seats left empty. As she watched, a shabby-looking man and a tall man who resembled a giant – Hagrid – took the places at the end of the table. The giant man looked tearful. Serena turned away in disgust. Fancy, a grown-up crying!

Meanwhile, Professor McGonagall had not been idle. Unrolling a scroll, she began to call out the names of the students to be Sorted. One by one, the younger children went up, trembling, to the front of the Hall where they put on a shabby looking hat. The W.I.T.C.H. gang and Elyon remained oblivious to it as they chatted animatedly.

"Brown, Elyon!" McGonagall called from the front of the Great Hall, where a stool had been placed. An extremely shabby, old, parched and dirty hat rested on top of it. Elyon jumped and looked around. All of the first-years had been Sorted into Houses. The seven of them were the only ones left.

"What am I supposed to do?" she mouthed at Will, who shrugged.

"Go up in front, sit on the stool, and place that hat on your head," Taranee whispered. Cornelia was disgusted.

"What, place that disgustingly dirty and patched and probably smelly hat on my head? Not me," she sniffed. Elyon giggled and patted he friend's back comfortingly.

"Come on, it can't be that bad," she said bracingly. She then walked timidly to the front, where the Sorting Hat sat, patiently waiting. She gulped and took the Hat in her hands.

"Go on, put it on your head," McGonagall said impatiently. Elyon obeyed hesitantly. Slowly, she placed the Hat on her head. She received a bad shock when the Hat started speaking.

"Hm…you have a lot of power, my child. And you have a lot of bravery too. Gone through harsh times, eh?" the Hat muttered. Elyon sat there, unsure of what to do. "Then you shall be in GRYFFINDOR!" the Hat yelled, almost deafening her. Gingerly, she took off the Hat can dashed down the rows until she was safely beside her best buddy, Cornelia. She could distinctly hear the claps of the students sitting at the table with the crest of a lion.

"Miss Brown, would you care to sit at your respective House table?" Professor McGonagall said icily. Elyon jumped up and hastened to sit at the table where the students had been clapping. Giggles and sneers accompanied her all the way. Poor Elyon was a deep shade of red by the time she collapsed onto a chair at that table.

"Cook, Taranee!" McGonagall barked. Taranee ran towards the stool and placed the Hat on her head.

"A very bright mind, and a fair amount of courage," the Hat muttered. "An ardent passion for fire, eh? Best be in…Gryffindor!" Thankfully, Taranee took the Hat off and ran towards Elyon, who greeted her warmly.

"Hale, Cornelia!"

It was Cornelia's turn. Fingers shaking slightly in disgust, she placed the shabby Sorting Hat onto her head.

"Ah, you have a sense of style. Elegant like a slender tree. You detest anything that does not suit your taste," the Hat said. Cornelia cringed. "Very brave, down-to-earth, so you shall be in Gryffindor!"

Cornelia sighed in relief and ran off to find Elyon, who squealed happily and hugged her friend. Cornelia grinned widely at her. Many of the male students were gazing at her dreamily, even those from other tables. She appeared oblivious to them.

"Lair, Irma!"

"Hm…you like to joke, huh? Very cheeky, often disobeys rules, mischievous…. This may come as a shock, so brace yourself. Ravenclaw!" the Hat yelled. Irma winced and took the hat off. Hay Lin looked at her retreating back, hoping that they could stick together.

"Lin, Hay!"

Hay Lin snapped out of her reverie and skipped to the front of the Hall, where the Hat sat waiting. She swept the Hat onto her head and sat down on the chair.

"Loves to crack jokes, very bubbly and cheerful even during the direst situations. Very much like a gentle breeze…. Ravenclaw!" the Hat shouted, its last word echoing around the hall. Hay Lin whooped and replaced the Hat on the stool then ran happily to Irma, who hugged her. Will watched them with a smile on her face. It was great to see that those two won't be separated after all. Thinking of the, made her think about her own Sorting. Will she be able to stick with Taranee? She certainly hoped so.

"Stevenson, Erica."

Erica smiled at the mention of her name and skipped to the front of the Hall. Smiles lit the students' faces when she walked, no, skipped past them. She would be such a joy to be with.

"So pure at heart, shining brightly to light the way for others. Filled with kindness for everyone, even animals. You willingly risk your life to save another." The Hat mumbled in praise. Erica glowed. She was seldom praised this highly. "In Hufflepuff you shall be!" the Hat yelled. Erica took the Hat off and skipped off to be with her soon-to-be new friends at the Hufflepuff table. Will knotted her hands anxiously.

"Vandom, Wilhelmina."

Will scowled as she heard giggles from the crowd when they heard her name. She ran up to the stool and jammed the Hat onto her head. It drooped down onto her face, and she did _not_ like that at all.

The Hat was silent for a moment. "Ah, you are a hard one. Just like that Potter boy."_ Who is that?_ Will wondered. "Great mind, powerful, courageous, a fault for breaking rules…." _Do I really?_ "Very difficult to place. You could do well in Slytherin -" _No, please! _Will thought. She hated snakes. And the name 'Slytherin' sure sounds snaky. "No? I told you that you were similar to that Potter boy, didn't I? Well, if not Slytherin then _GRYFFINDOR!_" it roared, deafening her. Will took the Hat off her head and replaced it on the stool. With a wide grin on her face, she walked towards the Gryffindor table where people were cheering themselves hoarse. Will was then pulled into a foursome hug with Elyon, Cornelia and Taranee.

"Last of all, Waters, Serena." Professor McGonagall finished as she rolled up the scroll that listed the names of newcomers.

Everyone's gaze rested on Serena as she walked up the path to the Hat. She didn't care. Let them stare all they want. Sullenly, she pulled the Hat down on her head.

"Ah, a tendency to break rules. Filled with hate, no?" the Hat muttered. "Likes dark areas where you can't be noticed…sad. But you have good brains and a some courage, so _RAVENCLAW!_"

Serena took the Hat off her head and walked off towards the Ravenclaw table. Hay Lin and Irma smiled at her. She did not reply and instead stared into space. Hay Lin and Irma exchanged glances and gave up on her.

A bespectacled man stood up. Silence ensued as the entire Hall was cleared of whispers and laughter. This man was not young. He had a very long white beard that reached almost to his toes. His clothing was what amazed the newcomers the most. Will and the others gaped at the deep blue robe he wore, decorated with silver stars that sparkled whenever he moved.

"I would like to welcome the new students into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with open arms. For those who have been here before, welcome back," he said pleasantly. "This year, I am asked to remind you the Forbidden Forest is strictly out of bounds unless accompanied by a teacher." Here, he seemed to look at two boys, who were exactly identical down to their flaming red hair and freckles on their faces. Everyone stared at the two, who bowed politely and returned their attention to the man.

"I would also like to announce that we have found a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Professor Lupin…?" the man enquired. The shabby looking man Serena saw earlier stood up and bowed to the old man.

"Thank you Professor Dumbledore. It is an honour to return to my former school to teach and light up students' paths towards a better future," Professor Lupin said graciously and bowed before resuming his seat. Will was looking around casually at each of the teachers and was shocked at the reaction of a certain greasy-haired, hook-nosed, sallow-faced man whom she assumed to be a teacher since he was sitting at the teachers' table. He was staring at Professor Lupin with a glare not of hate, but of absolute loathing. Will shuddered. Inside her, the Heart glowed.

"Sadly to say, Professor Kettleburn had desired to retire at the end of last year to enjoy the remainder of his life with the rest of his limbs. Professor Hagrid has kindly agreed to take up the post of the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher alongside his gamekeeper duties." Dumbledore announced. Some feeble clapping was heard from the crowd. Taranee saw Hagrid's ruby red face, half hidden as he wiped his eyes on the tablecloth.

"That's all the announcements for today. Tuck in!" Dumbledore invited and sat down. Talking erupted as the students caught up on their friends' news. Will stared, puzzled, at the empty plate set before her. So did the rest of the newcomers.

"I thought that Professor Dumble-something said 'tuck in,'" she whispered to Taranee, who was seated beside her. "Then where's the food?" Taranee shrugged and shook her head. At the same moment, huge helpings of food appeared on the golden dishes that were set some distance apart from each other. Will saw the others picking up their forks and knives and proceeded to heap their plates with food. She did likewise. She took some sandwiches as well as some roasted chicken from the pile of food and began to eat.

"Wow, the food's good," Taranee said as she chewed on a leg of chicken. Will, Elyon and Cornelia agreed. The food was far more delicious than they had imagined. Suddenly, the food shimmered and disappeared. In its place were huge blackberry puddings, glistening invitingly on each plate. Elyon licked her lips and took a huge chunk of it onto her plate.

"Yum, blackberry pudding! My favourite," she said as she took a bite. Her eyes widened in delight as she tasted it in her mouth. The pudding was far more delicious than those she had eaten both in Heatherfield and Meridian. Will and the others smiled contentedly as they dug into their food with relish.

….

"Aww, we missed the Sorting!" Hermione lamented as she and Harry entered the Great Hall after meeting Professor McGonagall.

"D'you think there are any new students this year?" Harry asked, peering at the Gryffindor table.

"Of course there are. First-years, remember?" Hermione said. Harry dismissed it impatiently.

"Not them! I mean new students who are starting Hogwarts this year, but not the first-years!" Harry said impatiently. Hermione shrugged.

"Why don't you look around and see for yourself?"

Harry sighed in defeat and scanned the Gryffindor table. There. Five new girls sat at the edge of the table, chatting animatedly. One was a redhead, another a beautiful blonde. The girl beside her had straw-coloured hair made up in two shaggy bangs. The girl sitting beside the redhead had beads to keep her hair in place. She looked weird that way. All of them were thin. Oddly though, the girls did not wear the school's traditional black robes.

"Look." Harry pointed in the direction of the new girls. The redhead in particular piqued his interest. She had huge brown eyes that fitted her features perfectly. A brown jacket covered her green blouse. She wore tight blue jeans that showed off her perfect figure.

Hermione looked. "What, Harry? Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Why aren't they in school robes yet?"

"No idea. Why don't we go and sit with Ron?" Harry suggested. Hermione agreed and headed towards Ronald Weasley, his best friend.

"Hey Harry, Hermione! I've saved seats for you!" Rom called as he motioned for them to come nearer. "What did McGonagall want you for?"

"Because of the effects of that Dementor," Harry said darkly. He scowled when he saw Malfoy at the next table, pretending to swoon.

"Ignore him, Harry." Hermione said hastily as she saw him shift his gaze.

"Come on, he's not worth it." Ron chastised.

"Who's new in Gryffindor this year?" Harry asked curiously, his mind dwelling once again on the redhead.

"Well, there's Cornelia Hale over there, the beau – I mean, the blonde haired girl," Ron said, staring dreamily at her. Harry looked up from his friend, puzzled, only to find that many of the boys wore that same dreamy expression on their faces, and that all of them were looking at – what was her name again? – Cornelia Hale. She appeared to be oblivious of all the stares she was getting.

"Right," Ron said, snapping out of his dreamy state. "Beside her is Elyon Brown. That one with a straw-coloured hair and wearing a flowing dress with some sort of symbol on it." He pointed towards Elyon. Harry nodded to show that he understood.

"That small girl there over in Hufflepuff is Erica Stevenson. Very cute," Ron chuckled. Hermione raised an eyebrow but remained silent.

"I never asked you about Hufflepuff," Harry pointed out. Ron was jerked unpleasantly out of his reverie and he looked around wildly. "What about the rest of the new Gryffindors?"

"There's Taranee Cook, the one who did her hair up in beads. Weird one, if you ask me."

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed reprovingly. Ron merely stared at her.

"What? I was only telling the truth!" he protested.

"Who's the last one?" Harry asked, trying to conceal his eagerness to know her name. Or that he noticed her at all, for that matter.

"Who, the redhead?" Ron queried. Harry nodded impatiently. "I think her name's Wilhelmina Vandom."

"Wilhelmina Vandom?" Hermione scratched her bushy head of hair. "That's a…unique name," she said lamely. Ron scoffed. Harry turned his gaze to the girl he now knew as Wilhelmina Vandom. _So that's her name. _He distinctly heard Ron and Hermione bickering and Professor Dumbledore speaking.

"Professor Hagrid has kindly agreed to take up the post of the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher alongside his gamekeeper duties," Dumbledore had said. Ron and Hermione stopped arguing to stare at Hagrid, who was ruby red in the face. They clapped tumultuously along with Harry. They were some of the few who had clapped at all.

"That's all the announcements for today. Tuck in!" Dumbledore invited and sat down. Noise erupted as the students caught up on their friends' news. Harry grabbed his fork and knife and proceeded to cut a huge slice of lamb chops.

"I'm starving," he said. Ron and Hermione agreed, unable to talk due to their mouths being stuffed full of food. Suddenly, the food shimmered and disappeared. In its place was a huge blackberry pudding on every golden plate. Harry and Ron quickly took some before it was grabbed by fellow Gryffindors. Soon they had eaten their fill and were waiting drowsily for the permission to go to their nice, warm beds.

"It's late now, so Prefects please escort students to their respective dormitories," Professor Dumbledore announced. "Good night!"

All the students started to move towards the entrance to their dormitories. Harry braced himself for the stares he used to receive from every new student. Sure enough, there were whisperings and open pointing at the scar on his forehead as soon as he joined the crowd of bustling students with Ron and Hermione.

"Hey, look at that boy! Is that a lightning bolt I see on his forehead?" a loud voice shouted. Harry turned to look crossly at the owner of the voice, a girl with messy brown hair.

"Don't say that out loud, Irma. That's rude," the girl Harry knew as Wilhelmina reprimanded her friend. Harry felt a rush of gratitude towards her. The girl with brown hair, now known as Irma, scowled and turned her back on Wilhelmina.

"Fine. Hay Lin and I have to go to the Ravenclaws' common room. C'mon, Hay Hay," Irma huffed. She dragged a small-looking girl who tied her long, blue hair in two ponytails with her.

"Bye Will!" the girl squeaked as she followed her bad-tempered friend away from Will. Will smiled and waved at her friend before turning. Startled, Harry found himself only inches away from her face. Her huge brown eyes portrayed shock as she hastily backed away from him. Unfortunately, a boy pushed her roughly and she started to fall down.

In a panic, Harry stepped forwards and reached for her flailing arm. He held on to her until she regained her balance and stood on her own two feet. Harry felt a pleasant tingling in his stomach that had nothing to do with food.

Wilhelmina had also turned a light shade of pink. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I -" she stammered.

"It's okay," Harry consoled. Wilhelmina smiled shyly at him, making his heart quiver with joy. _Her voice is so sweet, _he thought.

"Thank you. I am Wilhelmina," she said with a hint of disgust, "but you may call me Will."

"Hi Will. I'm Harry Potter," Harry introduced himself. He held out a hand, which Will shook heartily. Harry quickly withdrew his when he sensed dozens of prying eyes on him and Will.

"Nice to meet you, Harry."

Harry was glad that she didn't treat him like someone weird or someone extra special. It was a nice change for once from the usual stares by fellow students and sneers from the Dursleys.

"Harry?" Hermione called from in front of the portrait hole leading to the Gryffindor common room. Ron stood beside her, smirking.

"Coming! You following?" Harry asked Will hopefully. Just then, her friends beckoned her to be with them. With an apologetic smile, she turned down his offer.

"No, I'm sorry. My friends are calling me. I'll see you another time, okay?" she smiled sweetly before turning her back on him. Harry was rather disappointed. In haste, he pushed his way to Ron and Hermione's side.

"Make way for the Prefects!" Percy shouted importantly, pushing his way into the crowd. Finally, after what seemed to be a lifetime Percy stood in front of the portrait of a fat woman wearing a pink dress. "Fortuna Major," he said loudly. Turning to the students, he said, "This is the password required to enter the common room. Tell it to the Fat Lady here" – he pointed to the portrait" – "and she will allow you to enter. No entering the common room without it. New students, are you getting the hang of what I am saying?"

Somewhere in the center of the crowd, a plump, rather bumbling boy sighed unhappily. Poor Neville! He seemed to have a knack for forgetting passwords.

"You mean we have to talk to a portrait to enter the common room?" Cornelia said incredulously.

"That's magic for you, Cornelia," Elyon answered with a smile. "Let's go in, shall we?"

Cornelia smirked and did a mock bow. "After you, Your Majesty." Elyon scowled playfully before walking forwards with her head up high, just as a royal queen should. Cornelia, Will and Taranee followed behind her.

Elyon dropped into her bed with a happy sigh. "I'm sleepy. Goodnight everyone!" she yawned and turned over, falling asleep almost immediately.

"Ellie!" Cornelia said in exasperation. She had wanted to talk about the usual things: boys, fashion, gossip, Meridian and _Caleb._ Especially him. It was so long since she had seen him, she thought resentfully.

"Let her sleep," Taranee whispered soothingly. "She must be tired out. So am I, come to think of it." She yawned as she dragged her bag as well as Elyon's to the side of a bed. "Goodnight."

Will and Cornelia stared blankly for a moment. "Well, there goes two," Will said with a shrug. "Might as well go to bed, huh?"

Cornelia nodded and proceeded to pull her bag to the bed nearest to Elyon. "Uh, care to lend a hand?" she asked Will who was about to climb into the inviting bed. Will grumbled but came over. They managed to pull Cornelia's heavy (and did I mention huge?) bag to where she wanted it.

"Oof! What did you put in here, Corny?" Will panted as she sat on the floor, exhausted. Cornelia glared at her.

"First, don't call me Corny. It's bad enough that Irma calls me that. And I only brought some clothes in my bag," she retorted defensively. Will sighed. Suddenly, the bag started shaking violently.

"Are you sure?" Will asked skeptically as she pointed at Cornelia's shaking bag.

"What's happening?" Cornelia cried as she punched in the combination to the lock of her bag. A very messy and angry ball of fur dashed out as soon as she unlocked it. Cornelia screamed.

"Napoleon!" Will said in surprise as the cat stretched itself. Cornelia stopped screaming and stared at her cat. She then smacked her head.

"Oh my goodness! Napoleon must have slipped into my bag whilst I was packing! Poor dear," Cornelia whispered as she cradled the cat. "You must have had it hard inside that bag."

Will chuckled at the sight of the disgruntled cat in Cornelia's arms and dropped off to sleep.

….

"Ah, Hay Lin! Finally I can sleep!" Irma said dramatically as she hugged a pillow. Hay Lin giggled and sat down on the bed next to her friend.

"Hello! Are you staying here?" an East-Asian girl with long, black hair asked as she entered the dormitory. Irma and Hay Lin nodded.

"Hi, I'm Irma."

"And I'm Hay Lin. Nice meeting you!" Hay Lin said energetically. The new girl beamed happily and addressed herself as Cho Chang.

Loud chattering could be heard outside.

"Wow, are there parrots in here?" Irma joked, sending Hay Lin into peals of laughter. The chattering outside slowed to a soft tone just before the door clicked open. A girl with black hair and dark brown eyes entered, waving to her friend. She stared in surprise at the three girls already in the room.

"Hi Cho, are you and the two new girls sharing this dorm with me this year?" she enquired. "Oh, sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Padma Patil."

Hay Lin and Irma started to introduce themselves once again but were interrupted by another girl opening the door. This one had dirty blonde hair and silvery grey eyes. She scanned the room blankly.

"Ah, new students, I see. My name's Luna Lovegood," she introduced herself.

"I'm Hay Lin, and this is Irma."

Luna nodded. Suddenly, she ran forwards to clap her hand down on the table. "Aha, I got you now, you -" she said something intelligible under her breath. Cho Chang, Padma, Irma and Hay Lin all stared at her. Life is _not_ going to be enjoyable when Luna is around.

….

"Ah, peace at last!" Ron exclaimed as he fell onto his warm bed. Harry grinned and climbed into his own, enjoying the comfortable and warm poster bed.

"There's a lot of new students this year aren't there Harry?"

"Yeah…and you seem to have your eyes on a certain brown haired beauty with dazzling sapphire blue eyes, who, sadly to say, wasn't in Gryffindor," Harry teased. Ron turned a deep red at that.

"I do not!" he retorted heatedly. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, right." Harry sighed happily as he snuggled under the blankets. Finally, he felt truly at home.

---------

Oh…It took me so long to finish this…. I really hope it is worth it. Review? Please! Pretty please with a cherry on top?


	3. Chapter 3

Hello! Just wanting to inform you, I have no idea about the compatibility of wands with particular subjects, so I'll make them up.

Disclaimer: I do not own WITCH or Harry Potter. Isn't that obvious?

**Getting Ready**

….

Harry yawned sleepily as he rose from his comfortable bed, rubbing his eyes. On the bed next to him, Ron was still asleep. Clumsily, he clambered out of bed and pulled his robes on.

"Hey, get up Ron," Harry said as he shook his best friend awake.

"Five more minutes," Ron mumbled, pushing Harry's hand away and then pulling the bed sheets over his head.

"It's already eight, Ron! Do you want to be late for Hagrid's lesson? And without breakfast?" Harry suggested exasperatedly. Ron was up like a shot at that.

"Finally," Harry muttered darkly as Ron wore his robes over his clothes. Ron raised a brow.

"What did you say, Harry?"

"Nothing. Let's go down to the Hall, okay?"

Ron complied and started to descend the stairs eagerly. Harry trailed along behind him, still yawning.

"Good morning Ron, Harry. I see that neither of you are fully awake yet," Hermione greeted with a smirk. Ron scowled but said nothing. "Come on, let's go for breakfast."

The trio walked down the passage to the Great Hall, where many students sat eating their fill of buttered toast and boiled eggs. Some of them had already left the Hall to prepare for their first day of school.

Ron sat down on a chair and piled some bread onto a plate, attacking it with gusto. Harry and Hermione simply stared at him in disgust.

"Really, Ron, have you been taught any table manners?" Hermione asked testily.

"I was hungry!" Ron protested. Harry sighed and pulled Hermione down onto a chair.

"Come on, get used to it. We have to hurry if we're going to get a bite to eat at all." Hermione gave Ron one last glare and sat down beside Harry, gobbling down her food with speed that almost equaled Ron's. Harry looked at them for a moment then shook his head in defeat and started to eat.

….

"Good morning Will," Taranee said as she put on her glasses.

"Yawn…morning Taranee, Cornelia, Elyon," Will said while yawning, causing the words to collide and slur.

"Coreria? That is not my name, my dear Will," Cornelia said sarcastically. Elyon punched her playfully in the back.

"Come on Cornelia, can't you take a joke anymore?"

Cornelia grinned at her friend and pretended to frown. "No, and you have offended me greatly, Your Majesty," she mocked. Elyon turned red at this.

"Don't call me that in public, okay?" she hissed.

"Whoa, calm down there," Will cried, trying to smooth the ruffled feathers of the two bickering friends. "Let's go down to the Great Hall to eat, okay?"

"Fine. We weren't even quarreling, were we, Ellie?" Cornelia said as she winked at her friend-turned-royalty. Elyon grinned.

"Of course not! Let's go, I'm starving. Coming Taranee?"

"Sure!" Taranee answered, speaking for the first time since Cornelia and Elyon started arguing. "I can't wait to see what they're serving."

The four girls trotted over to the common room, which was deserted save for a rapidly growing impatient Hermione, who was tapping her fingers in boredom on a table.

"Oh, hi girls. You're new here, right?" she greeted as they approached.

"Hi! Yes, we are, in fact. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Will," Will said, smiling softly.

"I am Elyon Brown."

"Cornelia Hale, Elyon's best buddy." Cornelia smirked as she saw surprise written on Elyon's face.

"Ignore them. I am Taranee," Taranee said in a gentle voice.

Hermione smiled. "And I am Hermione Granger. Nice to meet you."

Brisk footsteps could be heard coming from the Hall. Will peered across Hermione's shoulders only to see Professor McGonagall striding along quickly up the passage.

"Wilhelmina Vandom, Taranee Cook, Cornelia Hale and Elyon Brown, please meet me at the entrance of the Great Hall after breakfast," she said curtly before turning around and disappearing down the same passage.

The four new girls stared blankly at the space Professor McGonagall had previously occupied less than a minute ago. _She definitely isn't one to laze around, _Taranee commented mentally. Cornelia, Elyon and Will heard it and had to work hard to conceal giggles.

"Is anything the matter?" Hermione asked. The four girls' behaviour really startled her. They had clamped their hands over their mouths and their entire bodies seem to shake uncontrollably. _I hope they're perfectly sane_….Hermione thought.

"Hermione?" Will asked gently, shaking Hermione out of her reverie. "Are you coming with us? Please do," she pressed. Hermione smiled and agreed. She led the way in case they got lost, showing them the trick stairs and such. Finally after a mishap where an extremely pissed off Cornelia's leg was caught in a trick stair, they arrived safely at the Great Hall.

The four hurried through a breakfast consisting of sandwiches and orange juice, too nervous to eat much. They left their seats right after they finished to wait for Professor McGonagall's next order after bidding goodbye to Hermione, who was rushing to her first class for the day, Ancient Runes.

"I wonder why Professor McGonagall asked for us," Elyon said nervously, twiddling her hands. Taranee and Will agreed whole-heartedly. Just then, Serena, Hay Lin and Irma ventured forwards from the Great Hall, right after eating their fill of breakfast.

"Morning girls!" Hay Lin said brightly.

"Yep, morning Corny," Irma grinned. Cornelia snapped.

"_Don't_ call me Corny, Irma!"

"Corny, Corny…." Irma sang. Cornelia growled. Before she could do anything, however, a blast of white light had hit Irma, throwing her backwards.

"Ooh," Irma said in a daze. Cornelia looked at her in surprise and then turned to meet the telltale sheepish gaze of Elyon. She had caught her dusting off excess white sprays of magic off her index finger.

"Hey, I just couldn't stop myself, Cornelia. She was insulting you!" Elyon defended herself. Cornelia shrugged then threw a satisfied smirk at Irma over her shoulder.

"Why you -" Irma growled. Blue sparks of magic started to gather at the end of her clenched fist.

"Don't expose yourself too much, Irma," Will snapped, looking pointedly at Irma's hand. Reluctantly, Irma allowed her magic to dissipate. The pleasant bubbling feeling in her tummy dwindled away to nothing. Irma sighed sadly, knowing that she had lost.

"So pathetic," Serena said coldly, emerging out of the shadows behind a statue. Truth be told, she had been impressed at the display of magic without a wand, but she was too proud to admit it.

Cornelia looked at the newcomer coolly. "I don't care what you think, Serena," she declared airily. Serena continued to stare at her dully. Professor McGonagall's brisk walk down the stairs reached them before the teacher appeared, staring curtly at the seven girls. Beside her was the giant of a man the WITCH gang, Elyon and Serena had glimpsed from the previous night. Professor McGonagall seemed tiny in comparison.

"This is Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper and the newly appointed teacher of Care of Magical Creatures," she introduced. Hagrid waved cheerfully at the seven girls. All but Serena returned the friendly gesture.

"Ahem," Professor McGonagall coughed inaudibly. It was enough to capture every girl's attention. "Professor Hagrid will be accompanying you seven to Diagon Alley to buy your robes and other essential things for schooling here. Hagrid, please bring them to Professor Dumbledore after they are done. I have to go to class now before the students wreck the classroom."

"Yes Professor," Hagrid said. Turning to the new girls, he held out a piece of crumpled paper to them, along with seven envelopes sealed with the crest of Hogwarts, a snake, a badger, a raven and a lion entwined around a single letter 'H'. All of the girls stared at it dubiously.

"What are those for?" Serena couldn't hide the dripping sarcasm in her voice. The remaining six frowned at her behaviour but she ignored them. Let them be.

However, Hagrid did not seem to notice the sarcastic comment. "What, these?" he said dismissively. "These are the list of things yeh have ter buy in Diagon Alley. Scholl stuff, robes an' most importantly, yer wands."

"Wands?" Will asked blankly. "We're going to have to use wands?"

"Yup. Why not? Yeh're a witch, aren't yeh?" Hagrid said as if it was the most obvious statement in the world.

"Oh," Will muttered sheepishly. She was always embarrassing herself in front of people. If only she wouldn't do that then perhaps she would be much more likeable in her friends' eyes. Or so she thought.

"Come on then. Won't do ter dillydally all day," Hagrid said cheerfully as he led the way, the seven girls in tow. In no time at all, they were at the entrance of Diagon Alley. They gasped in wonder at the view that greeted them. As usual, Serena stared dully at the sight as if it didn't interest her at all.

"Now _this_ is shopping heaven!" Cornelia exclaimed, her arms akimbo. "Let's shop till we drop!"

Elyon laughed helplessly at her friend's antics. Meanwhile, Will and the others had already entered the first shop. A board hung over the door of the shop. The words 'Madam Malkin' were carved into the ancient wood, covered with what seemed to be several centuries of dust.

"Eww, she really needs to clean that thing up a little," Irma said with disgust, wrinkling her nose. "Let's help her, shall we?" she said mischievously as she winked at Hay Lin, he partner in most of her pranks. The cheeky Hay Lin nodded.

"Okay then, at the count of three," Irma teased. "One."

Hay Lin and Irma shut their eyes, summoning their powers.

"Two."

Blue and silver swirls seeped out of Irma's and Hay Lin's fingers respectively.

"Irma, don't -"

Too late.

"Three."

A small jet of water shot towards the board, cleansing off the thick layer of dust. The water stopped flowing a short moment later. Simultaneously, a gust of cold wind hit the piece of wood, drying it. Both the girls grinned and high-fived.

"Don't do that again, Irma! Someone could've seen you!" Will hissed. Both the girls squeaked in horror as they realized the possible price of their little prank. Knowing Will, it would probably rocket shy-high.

"W-We're sorry Will," Hay Lin offered. Something clicked within her mind when she realized that neither Will nor the rest of the girls were anywhere in sight. Besides Serena, that is. And _she_ was looking away from them.

"Did you…?"

"Yes," Will's voice came floating from somewhere in front of Irma. "I made us invisible. But please don't do that again. You do remember that there are other people here, don't you?"

"Right," both guilty girls said sheepishly. They nearly forgot about Serena. Elyon was okay because she had seen the guardians in their guardian forms countless times when they had tried to defend the Veil and restore Elyon to the throne in Metamoor. But Serena? She's a different matter altogether.

"Go into a washroom. I'll let down the invisibility shield then."

As one, all six girls rushed to the nearest washroom, holding onto each other's hands tightly for dear life. No one besides Will can revert the spell, and not even she can sense any one of the invisible guardians. The pranksters shuddered at the thought of roaming endlessly about the streets of Diagon Alley, never to return because they could not see each other again.

"Okay," Will whispered with a tone of finality in her voice. "Heart of Kandrakar," she whispered in joy as the pendant popped out of her hand. "Change us back."

The invisibility shield around the six girls shimmered, revealing the guardians from knee up.

"Happy now?" Will reprimanded them. Irma and Hay Lin decided to be quiet. After all, they had been the cause of this and had to shoulder the blame.

Will sighed. "Let's go, Professor Hagrid will be waiting."

….

The seven girls groaned at the sheer weight of the items they had to carry. They had bought everything essential for studying in Hogwarts except for one major item: wands. Therefore, Hagrid walked them to an ancient shop in the corner of Diagon Alley. The board above the door said 'Ollivander's Wands'.

"Go on in, Mr. Ollivander sells the best wands anywhere. I'll be off to the Three Broomsticks for a sip of Butterbeer then I'll come back an' meet yeh' girls here, okay?" Hagrid suggested cheerfully. Before the girls could protest, Hagrid was gone in three long strides. Scowling, the girls entered the dark shop.

"Hello girls." A mysterious voice said from the darkness. Only Serena could see the silhouette of the man who greeted them because she was used to the darkness and had mastered the ability to adjust her sight in mere seconds. The other girls looked around confusedly for the source of the voice.

Suddenly, the man stepped out of the shadows, exposing himself to the girls. Cornelia couldn't help giving out a high-pitched scream.

"I am Mr. Ollivander. I suppose that you seven are here for your wands."

All seven of them nodded. They felt anticipated at the aspect of finally owning a wand.

_Then we'll officially be witches! Not only does the word WITCH symbolizes our team, but it also means that we are witches! Way to go! _Irma thought.

"You there, the one in the shadows. Why don't you follow me to the back of the shop for your wand?" Mr. Ollivander said. Serena followed him without a word. "Stay in there for a while, will you? And don't touch even a single one of the wands. You will regret it."

Turning to face the girls, he eyed each of them emotionlessly. Will shuddered as his gaze swept over her. He really _was_ a mysterious person.

"All of you, focus on your powers. The appropriate wands will come to you," he said abruptly, startling all six of them.

"P-Powers sir? I'm afraid we -" Will started to object.

"I know you have special powers. Now use it or get out of my shop."

Sighing resolutely, Will agreed. She released the Heart from within her body and sent the essence of each element towards each WITCH member, including herself. Meanwhile, Elyon shut her eyes and focused. The Crown of Light was suddenly visible under her straw coloured bangs. She emitted a soothing glow was the crown pulsed strongly with pure energy.

Surprisingly, six wands flew forward from the deep recesses of Ollivander's shop. Each guardian and the young queen caught them deftly in their right hand. Immediately a feeling of warmth spread up their fingers.

"Wave them," Ollivander said imperiously. All of them obeyed, bringing the sticks down with a swishing noise. Sparks erupted from all of them; red and gold sparks from Will, Cornelia, Elyon and Taranee's while Irma, Serena and Hay Lin's shot out blue and bronze ones. Mr. Ollivander smiled in satisfaction.

"Ah, they suit you all right. Let me see what they're made of."

He picked the wand out of Cornelia's hand and inspected it. "Hm…dragon heartstring and cherry blossom…very good for Herbalogy."

Irma's wand was next.

"Unicorn's tail and baobab wood…good for Charms."

To Hay Lin he said, "Dragon heartstring and oak…good for spells."

"A Phoenix feather and cherry blossom…good for defensive spells." That was Elyon's. She glowed. She had always vowed to protect Metamoor, and this particular wand seems to be made for that job.

Will's was last. "Ah," the wizened old man exclaimed softly. A slight hint of surprise flitted across his face. "Out of all the wands here, this one wants you…."

"What is it?" Will's voice quivered like a leaf in the wind.

"This wand is probably one of the most powerful of all…it has lain untouched since I was a child…(imagine how old that is!) It contains two cores, which makes it very dangerous…." He trailed off, staring at the wand.

Will put on a bold face. "Tell me."

"This wand has been owned before, from what my father told me. It was suddenly returned to the shop without any trace of the owner. We – my father and I, that is – did some personal research and found that the owner had become the Queen of some infinite city and no longer required a wand. Therefore my father decided to put it up for sale in the shop. It had disagreed with all the people it was bright forwards for except for you. This makes you special, my girl."

"The wand contains the hair of a goddess whose name is unknown. Besides that, its original core was a phoenix feather. Now, what made it special was that it belonged to the same goddess, and the fact that this blue phoenix only gave a single feather makes this wand all the more special," he concluded. "You must be worthy of some title, my dear."

"I d-don't think so sir," Will declined politely. Just then, the wand levitated off the man's gnarled hands and landed on Will's outstretched hand. The girl closed her fist instantly. "W-What happened?"

"It returned to you, and without any incantation, too," Mr. Ollivander muttered, awed. "Never have I seen this. Truly special indeed. Now," he said, brushing his hands on a piece of cloth, "I have to attend to the last member of your group." He then bustled off to see to Serena, who had been in the alternate room for quite some time now.

The moment he was gone, the five girls crowded around the Keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar. They 'ooh' and 'aah'-ed at the wand, wanting to hold it. No matter what they did, the wand slipped away from their fingers and returned to Will's palm after a moment of being held by either one of them. Even Elyon could only hold it for no more than five minutes before it gave her the slip.

Just then, Mr. Ollivander reappeared with Serena in tow. He was frowning, much to the girls' surprise. Serena looked as cool as ever as she clutched her brand new wand in her right hand. Will couldn't help shuddering when she saw it. She didn't know why, but the wand gave her the creeps.

They paid for their wands then exited the shop, sighing in relief.

"My, that Ollivander sure is queer," Irma quipped. Hay Lin agreed wholeheartedly, quickly followed by the others, excluding Serena, who was twirling the wand in her hand.

"Done girls?" A loud voice bellowed in the direction of the Three Broomsticks. The girls swiveled around to see the huge form of Hagrid blocking the blinding rays of sun. His silhouette appeared dark before it.

"Let's go. Dumbledore's waiting for yeh."

The girls agreed silently and trudged up the path leading to the castle where Hogwarts is located, with Hagrid in front, swinging his staff about merrily. The girls took care not to get too close to the staff. They didn't want a cracked skull.

….

"Professor Dumbledore? The new girls are here," Hagrid hollered. They were now in front of the statue resembling a gargoyle. Will was perplexed. Weren't they here to speak to the Headmaster? The one with the unique robes and flowing white beard? Then why were they standing in front of a statue for?

Just then, a faint voice sounded from somewhere beyond the gargoyle. "Let them in. Miss Waters may depart to her first class after donning her robes."

"Yessir," Hagrid replied as he herded the girls to stand in font of the gargoyle. Just then, someone muttered something inaudible, causing the gargoyle to leap aside, allowing them entrance.

"Miss Waters, d'you care ter go to yeh first class?" Hagrid suggested. Serena shrugged nonchalantly and walked down the stairs, taking her things with her. The rest of them watched her go without any trace of regret. She had been such a killjoy anyway.

"Come in," the disembodied voice echoed. Hagrid gave Taranee a 'gentle' push that sent her tripping over the first step, causing her to fall backwards. Luckily for her, Elyon managed to catch her on time (she was behind the fire guardian). Hagrid apologized then backed out, muttering something about 'getting ready fer my firs' class'. Grudgingly, Taranee continued up the steps heading towards the Headmaster's office.

"Good afternoon young ladies," the old professor greeted from his seat behind the desk. His half-moon spectacles rested comfortably on the bridge of his nose. Today he wore a set of blue robes with some weird patterns on them. He was smiling.

"I have been told that you six possess special powers. May I know what they are?" he enquired. The six girls shared a glance, sharing a secret discussion. Finally, Will nodded and the Heart appeared, hovering above her right palm.

"Guardians Unite!" she ordered. Five teardrops with the colour of the elements flew towards each guardian. The orange red one went to Taranee, a calming green one to the sturdy Cornelia, a nearly transparent one to the cheerful Hay Lin and a sea blue teardrop to Irma. Last of all, a bright pulsing pink teardrop zoomed into Will's body. All of them started transforming in to their alter ego forms: more beautiful, wise young women.

Meanwhile, Elyon had been concentrating really hard on something, her eyes tightly shut. The Crown of Light appeared on her head, glittering dazzlingly. The bright light nearly blinded the people in the vicinity. Professor Dumbledore had to shield his eyes with one hand to keep himself from going blind. On the other hand, the guardians' bubbles of power blocked the excessive light from entering the interior of the semi-transparent orbs.

The WITCH gang had transformed as well. Now they had special clothes with the purple-and-green trademark colours. Most intriguing of all, a pair of iridescent wings sprouted out of each guardians' back, fluttering lightly even without the presence of a breeze.

Turning to face the Headmaster of Hogwarts, the Keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar bowed politely. "We -" she said, waving towards Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin "- are Guardians of the Veil."

"And I," Elyon piped in a dignified voice, "am Queen Elyon, the Light of Meridian." She could not hide a hint of pride in her voice as she stated her identity.

Dumbledore chuckled pleasantly. "That was quite some performance. And what a surprise to have a queen among our midst." he muttered. The aforementioned girl held her head high proudly, looking every inch the Queen of formerly gloomy world Metamoor. Will inclined her head.

"Thank you, sir. What do you want to know?"

"Do you young ladies mind showing me what you are capable of?"

"Sure. Irma, why don't you start first?"

"Whatever you say, Will," Irma said cheekily. "Do you have some water here?" she asked Dumbledore. He nodded and waved his wand. A basin of water appeared in front of him as soon as he was done.

"Thank you," Irma stammered. The other girls were gaping at this performance. This was their first glimpse of the usage of wands since they had arrived in Hogwarts, and it impressed them very much. Waving her hand, she made the water dance about, occasionally taking the shape of a random object, first a doll, then a fountain and lastly, five blue ballerinas prancing on air. Suddenly, the water froze, trapping the ballerinas permanently in a solidified state. Irma stared at her beautiful work in horror.

"What happened?" she gushed. The pieces of ice, no longer controlled by the Guardian of water, began to plummet down towards the floor. Professor Dumbledore waved his wand once more. The ice ballerinas seem to slow down, finally stopping merely inches away from the floor, suspended by some invisible pocket.

"I decided to keep them," Dumbledore said, explaining the obvious. "It is very delicate and every feature is perfect. You appear to have already mastered your ability over water, Miss Lair."

The water guardian giggled embarrassedly. "I'm not that good, sir…."

"I'm next," Cornelia butted in, ending her enemy's moment of fame. Irma scowled but backed away to be with Hay Lin. Cornelia smirked and held out her hands. A greenish light surrounded her slender fingers. Touching a dying plant with her magic, she made it grow again. Small red flowers bloomed out of the revived plant.

"Incredible," Dumbledore said, rearranging his half moon spectacles that had slipped too far down his nose. "Who's next?"

"Me," Taranee whispered timidly. She crept forwards, keeping her eyes down all the time. "I have control over fire." With that, orange magic spurted out of her right hand, covering it in flames. The fire then collected to form a ball of fire in her hand.

"I have power over air," Hay Lin, ever the cheerful one, quipped. A gentle gust of wind came through the open window, ruffling their hair. It gradually grew into a miniature tornado in her hands, pulling papers and other light objects into it. Hay Lin then allowed it to dissipate, closing her hands together. It was only after the tornado disappeared that she found out she had gone too far. Papers were strewn everywhere about the room. Some broken china was visible near the lush green carpet. The mysterious objects on the Headmaster's table had capsized, drained of their contents if they had any.

"Oops. I'm sorry, Headmaster!" she squeaked apologetically. Dumbledore nodded absentmindedly and flicked his wand. The fallen or broken objects zoomed back to their original positions, returned to their former glory. The petite air Guardian stared incredulously around the room.

"It doesn't matter, Miss Lin. Let's continue, shall we?"

Will stepped forward to stand before the desk. In her hand was a handsome black owl in its cage. "I am the proud Keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar. Besides shooting energy rays, I can also communicate with electrical appliances and animals." To prove her point, she crooned to her new owl, which she had named Starlight after the small patch of white feathers on his front. It stood out clearly when he soared high above their heads, seeming to shine against the jet-black feathers, earning the owl his name.

The owl screeched in answer. Will then crooned further. Starlight stared at her for a moment before flying up to land on an empty shelf. There he sat preening his feathers, ignoring the small company completely.

Will smiled contentedly as she watched her newly acquired owl. "What did you tell it to do?" Irma asked curiously.

"Oh, I told it to peck the first person who dares to cross me," she answered airily. The girls behind her exchanged glances and stepped away from her. Will giggled at their antics. Her powers really helped at times.

Dumbledore clapped his hands, earning the attention of the guardians and the Queen of Metamoor. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I think I have a way to help you use your powers more effectively." The Guardians looked at the aged man expectantly.

"Come here and place your wands on the table," he ordered. The girls obeyed without further ado. "Now place your wand arm several inches over your wand." Dubiously, they agreed to do so.

"Now shut you eyes…and concentrate."

Will exchanged puzzled glances with her fellow girlfriends but nodded slightly, closing her eyes. The rest of them did so a little reluctantly. The numerous battles they had been through had taught them an important lesson, and that was to never let their guard down.

The wands started to vibrate uncontrollably under the girls' hands. They were alarmed but kept their hands over their wands. Dumbledore smiled appreciatively. He pointed his wand at the girls and started muttering something inaudible.

The girls frowned. What was he doing? _I hope he isn't trying to harm us,_ Elyon thought worriedly. She had had enough of that from her heartless brother, Phobos, to want any more.

All of a sudden, she felt light, as if something within her had been detached. Oh no, she thought with dread. _I have to know what's going on,_ she thought desperately. This reminded her of her brother's attempt to steal her magic. She had felt the pain and the same light feeling her astral drop had felt during the last moments of its momentary life as her double. It had transferred all the things Astral Elyon had done between the time Elyon had separated her from her body to when she appeared to have passed away after her 'magic' was drained. It hurt. The feeling of being betrayed by her own brother really hurt. And that was why she did not want to experience it again. _No! I don't want to suffer any more! _She screamed mentally. _Open your eyes,_ she commanded herself. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, just a teensy bit open. Just enough for her to see.

She saw Professor Dumbledore, still muttering something under his breath. He passed his wand over the wands of the girls as he did so. Each wand glowed brightly with the colours of the owner's powers. The vibration increased dramatically to the point where it was teetering precariously on the edge of the desk, threatening to fall.

Dumbledore muttered something else that seemed to end the spell. The wands stopped vibrating the instant he did so. The brightly glowing auras that surrounded the wands shimmered down, leaving only a faint light in its wake.

"You may open your eyes now," he said softly. Slowly, the Guardians obeyed. Their eyelids snapped open as they stared at the wands under their outstretched hands. Nothing seemed to change besides a glowing light resembling the colours of their magic. A bright red one for Taranee, a silvery one for Hay Lin, blue for Irma, green for our elegant girl, a bright pulsing pink for Will and a pure white light around Elyon's.

"What happened?" Will voiced the opinion of the other girls, perplexed. The girls around her nodded as well. They were curious to find out.

"Oh, nothing. I simply transferred the channeling of your powers into your wands. Before you protest," he said as his eyes twinkled in the direction of a pissed off water guardian, "allow me to voice you my reason. This is to enable you to channel your power through your wands as an alternate choice. As you will be holding your wands most of the time, you can't afford to drop it if you are going to duel without what we call normal magic. Of course, you may still shoot your powers from your palms, but where's the harm in trying?"

Will seemed to accept the theory for she smiled appreciatively at the aged professor. "Thank you sir," she said gratefully. "We really appreciate your effort. Right girls?" she raised an eyebrow at the remaining girls.

"Sure. Mind elaborating on your concept?" Cornelia said sarcastically.

"Way to go, Corny," Irma muttered under her breath. She always goes out of her way to irk the earth guardian, doesn't she? Luckily, Cornelia missed her comment.

Dumbledore smiled pleasantly at the earth girl. "Of course, Miss Hale. Imagine that you are locked in combat and your wand is snatched away. What would you do if I had transferred the source of your power completely into your wand? You would be left helpless at the mercy of your opponent. Do you want that to happen?"

"Well…no. But if you had not transferred the outlet of our powers into our wands, we could have dueled with them anyway," Cornelia pointed out.

"Why, right you are, Miss Hale. If you disagree, I could remove what I did earlier. Then you will be limited to only sending vines above the ground to strangle or hold your opponents in place after your wand is taken away. You choose."

Cornelia grunted in frustration, knowing only too well that she had lost. She turned away from the Headmaster. Elyon tried to comfort her. The young queen wore an I-told-you-so look on her face. The blonde earth guardian shrugged and allowed her best buddy to comfort her. The rest of the Guardians remained silent.

Dumbledore broke the awkward silence in the room. "I think lunch is ready in the Great Hall. Why don't you go down for a bite before going to your first class?"

Will, as the leader, answered for all of them. "Thank you, sir. We'll do that," she said courteously. "Let's go girls." With that, she turned to leave, trailed by five girls.

"Nice meeting you," Dumbledore's faint voice followed them down the secret staircase.

Irma chuckled helplessly as soon as they exited the Headmaster's office. "Boy, is he formal," she joked. Hay Lin laughed helplessly beside her. Soon the entire group broke into laughter. They struggled to control it, to no avail.

"G-Girls, I t-think we s-should s-s-to-p laughing. P-People ar-are staring a-at us-s," Will giggled anxiously. True enough, the milling crowd of students was staring at the laughing six as thought they were crazy. Perhaps they were.

"You're right Will. I read their minds," Taranee whispered, wiping away the tears that had formed due to excess laughing. Irma and Hay Lin were clutching their stomachs as they tried to stifle their giggles.

"Bye Will, we're off to the Ravenclaws' table," Hay Lin stammered between occasional laughs. She pushed Irma in the general direction of the Ravenclaw's table and disappeared from sight, mingling among the students who were chatting animatedly.

"I guess we should go too," Will said, breaking the silence among them.

"Okay, I'm starving," Elyon said, rubbing her tummy for emphasis. The others laughed and continued on their way to the Gryffindor's table.

….

Ron plunked his bag into a rattan chair in the common room, massaging his back painfully. "Man, those books weigh a ton," he moaned. Harry agreed silently, seating himself in the chair beside Ron's.

"Where's Hermione?" he asked. Ron shrugged.

"No idea."

"Hi Harry, hi Ron!" Right on cue, the tousled head of Hermione appeared through the portrait. "Sorry I'm late, Professor Bins set me on an assignment to find information regarding Helvric the Horrible (I made that up, okay? So don't flame me concerning this stupid name). And I have to hand it in by Tuesday! What a day," she sighed, placing her bag onto a table.

"Let's go for lunch, I'm starving," Ron said as his stomach gave a loud rumble. Hermione looked at him in disdain before complying. She strapped her books together carefully, snapped the clasp of her bag shut and followed the boys to the Great Hall for lunch.

….

"Hey girls, did you find any empty seats?" Will asked as they regrouped in front of the door. The others shook their heads, a no. The leader sighed. She hadn't realized how hard it was to find seats up to now.

"Look, Harry. Those new girls seemed to be unable to find a seat," Ron pointed out. Harry turned around. Sure enough, Will, Elyon, Cornelia and – what's her name again? – Taranee were standing awkwardly at the door, looking around hopelessly for seats.

"Over here," Harry called from the Gryffindor table. He had saved four seats for the new girls, although his mind was currently dwelling on a certain redhead beauty….

Will's grateful smile sent him into a daze. Harry shook his head lightly. He had never felt this way before. The girl beckoned to her roommates. All of them came as one towards the three friends who were already seated.

"Are you sure we can sit here?" Will asked sweetly. Hermione nodded eagerly.

"But of course!"

"Um…Ellie, there are only three empty seats," Cornelia pointed out.

"You're right," Elyon replied, disappointed. "Let's go somewhere else."

"No, take my seat," Ron butted in. He stood up from his seat and invited our elegant earth girl to take his place.

"Why, thank you," Cornelia said graciously before sweeping down to sit occupy Ron's emptied seat. Elyon giggled behind her hand and followed suit. For some unknown reason, Hermione was glaring daggers at a certain boy with red hair and countless freckles. Harry shrugged and ushered Will into the seat near him. Sadly for him, Taranee was the one to fill the seat beside his. His hopes drooping, he returned to his meal.

….

The new girls went through their first day of lessons without any trouble. Except for the time Draco Malfoy, a very snobbish Slytherin, threw a stone at a passing fox cub, causing the mother to chase the WITCH girls, who were taking a walk near the pond. Taranee saved the day by performing a Stunning spell on the enraged vixen. The beam that shot out had a tinge of orange to it, much to the surprise of passing students. One even had the nerve to ask if Taranee had hijacked her wand somehow. He ended up with a bad hair day. The fire guardian had used her power on him discreetly and burned the fringe of his hair. He had squealed like a pig and ran off quickly. The girls had a good laugh later that day in their dormitory.

"That must be some of your magic seeping out, Taranee," Will said as she dried her tears of laughter with the sleeve of her new black robes. They had been discussing the funny scene. The fire guardian nodded, the occasional giggle escaping her lips.

"You shouldn't have burned his hair," Elyon said sourly. "He was such a handsome boy before you did."

"Eh, Ellie has a crush!" Cornelia teased, going into more peals of laughter. She clutched her stomach helplessly as she rolled about on the floor. Some tears squeezed out of her eyes.

"I do not!" Elyon protested hotly, blushing a furious red. The other three fell into derisive laughter at her reaction. The young queen scowled and turned her back on them. "Well, I won't stop you if you want to laugh all might, but _I_ want to sleep," she said disdainfully before creeping into her blankets.

Will mustered a goodnight and landed on her bed with a bump. Starlight screeched in disgust and flapped his wings in an attempt to regain his balance.

"Oops, sorry Starlight, I better bring you to the Owlery," Will said sheepishly. Her owl looked at her reproachfully through large amber eyes and snapped at her.

"I said I'm sorry!"

Starlight made a weird noise in his throat.

Will turned scarlet at this comment, whatever it was. "Grr…you're coming with me, Mr. Owl!"

Her friends could hear the guardian squabbling loudly with her protesting owl all the way down the passage. Taranee giggled softly as she read her friend's mind despite her already aching stomach due to excessive laughing.

"What's wrong Taranee?" Cornelia murmured sleepily from her bed.

"S-Starlight admits that he has a – okay, not-so-small crush – on a certain snowy white owl and he demands Will to introduce him to her or else -" here Taranee listened attentively for a moment before rolling off her bed, still laughing.

"Will ticked him off for crushing already. Starlight threatens to spill the beans about a certain messy haired boy," Taranee sputtered, gasping for breath. "Now Will is threatening to – to – tee hee hee!" she giggled.

"What is it?" Cornelia pressed, now fully awake once more.

"I'm not telling you," Taranee said as she snuggled into her comfortable blankets.

"Just tell me already!" an exasperated Cornelia yelled. Too bad. Rhythmic breathing announced Taranee's asleep. Growling something under her breath, Cornelia let her blonde head fall onto her plushy pillow and entered her dream world.

IIII

Sorry for the late update, I had a lot to do. Anyway, I think the length of this chapter should be enough to cover for that, no? I rushed through most of it to be able to post it before my exams, so please forgive the numerous mistakes I might have made.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello again! Welcome to Chapter 4 of WITCH at Hogwarts! I hope you enjoy it.

Must I mention the disclaimer again? Yes? No way….

**Disclaimer:** I do not own WITCH or Harry Potter.

There. Are you happy?

On to the next chapter!

**Lessons and a Revelation**

….

"What is the first lesson for the day?" Ron asked lazily as he peeked over Hermione's shoulder to check the timetable.

"Double Potions with Professor Snape, along with the Slytherins," Hermione snapped. "Now get off my shoulder so that I can go on with my homework!"

"Alright already," Ron said, annoyed. "You don't need to snap." That was before the true message sank in. "Wait…did you say _Double Potions with Snape?_" he sputtered, his eyes going wide with shock.

"Yes, yes, _yes,_ so please stop pestering me!"

Just then Harry sauntered into the common room. "Hi Ron. What's up?" He peered over Hermione's shoulder to check on her work. His eyes widened as well when he saw what they would be having for their first period of the day.

"_Double Potions?_" he mouthed incredulously at Ron, whose mouth was also agape. _Sigh…we're off to a bad start._

….

Will woke up groggily, still in her pajamas. The dormitory she slept in was oddly silent. She turned about in her bed to get a look at the alarm clock.

"_Eight thirty?_" she shrieked hysterically and started diving into her bags for a set of clothes and robes. "Oh am I sooo late." _Great. What an exciting start for a new day._ _Why didn't Taranee or someone wake me up? _she wailed.

She dashed hurriedly to the Great Hall, a disarrayed stack of books in her arms and a bag dangling on her back. She groaned to see the entire Hall empty of occupants. The food had also been cleared off the house tables. _No breakfast for me,_ she thought before hastily running in a random direction.

"Timetable, timetable…." She moaned as she searched her bag for the piece of cardboard. "Oh where did I put the timetable? Ah, here it is. Double Potions, Professor Snape, along with Slytherins." She froze. _O_-kay. She knew she had Double Potions, but _where is the class held?_

Will sighed unhappily. _This just isn't my day._

….

Harry glanced over to where an empty seat was between the three new girls.

Taranee? Check.

Cornelia? Check.

Elyon? Check.

Will? No check.

_Where are you, Will?_ He thought. The girl's friends were obviously echoing his thoughts as their frantic eyes darted frequently to the door.

Just then, the door creaked open. Every student watched its progress with bated breath. It opened one inch wider. Then another. And another. Harry found himself watching it with growing apprehension. He had a nasty feeling of the person behind the door….

Sure enough, it wasn't the sweet face of Will who greeted them. It was a thin, sallow faced man with a hooked nose and wore black robes. He felt his hopes sink. Some distance away from him, he thought he saw Will's girlfriends' hearts plummet to the ground as they did not see their friend anywhere in sight.

"Good morning," Professor Snape said. The single word hushed the entire class. "To those who are new here, I am Professor Snape, the Potions master. I hope that you aren't a batch of dunderheads I usually have to teach."

"Does he suggest that we are stupid?" Elyon whispered angrily.

"No, he said dunderheads. That means he thinks we are dumb," Cornelia whispered back. "But I think he is the dumb one."

That made Elyon giggle before she gave it any thought. Heads swirled around in surprise to hear giggles breaking out in the dungeon when the sallow faced teacher is in sight.

"Ah, Miss Elyon Brown, am I right?" Professor Snape swooped down to Elyon's desk in a swift movement.

Elyon gulped. "Y-Yes sir," she said meekly. Snape gave her a malicious smile and moved on to Cornelia, who was seated beside her.

"Cornelia Hale?"

"That's me sir," Cornelia replied breezily. She did _not_ want to get on the bad side of a teacher on the very first period of the day.

"Taranee Cook?"

Taranee managed a small smile that the teacher never returned.

"Wilhelmina Vandom?"

No answer. Professor Snape looked up from the name list to look around the dungeon. His thin mouth twisted into a sneer as he saw the empty seat beside Taranee.

"Uh, Will is here, sir! She only -" Taranee tried to cover for her best friend.

"I never asked for an explanation, Miss Cook," Snape said silkily. "Now keep quiet." Taranee shut her mouth at once, looking down on the table angrily.

"Since Wilhelmina -" Snape allowed the Slytherins a good laugh at the weird sounding name "- isn't here, I think I'll deduct fi-"

"Good morning sir!" a breathless voice huffed from the door. The students' attention were diverted to the messy haired person. Will stood there holding tight onto the door, panting heavily. Harry sighed in relief mixed with apprehension.

"-Five points from Gryffindor," Professor Snape finished without even glancing at her. Will was flabbergasted. She lost points for her House the moment she stepped into the classroom? Outrageous.

"But sir -" she protested.

"Another point for interrupting and it will be fifty if you don't sit down," Snape said icily. Will scowled and went over to her friends' table, where she sat on her seat, fuming.

_That isn't fair!_ She thought vehemently.

_I know…I've heard that Professor Snape can get really nasty unless you belong to Slytherin,_ Taranee said soothingly via telepathy. _I guess it's true._

"Wilhelmina Vandom -"

"Will, if you please," the redhead spat before thinking. She clapped her hand over her mouth in horror.

_What did I do? What am I going to do?_

"I don't care what you prefer to be called, Miss Vandom. Answer my question. Why are you late?" Professor Snape said sharply.

"I-I overslept," Will confessed embarrassedly. "And then I didn't know the way here."

To her immense relief, the teacher turned his back on her and finally started his lesson. So passed the first two drastic periods of Potions.

….

The rest of the lessons breezed by without any mishaps. Will was thankful for that. She didn't think that she could withstand another round of humiliation that day, plus no breakfast that dreary morning.

"Oh goody. It's lunch time," Elyon said cheerfully. Cornelia grinned at her best friend's attitude. Will, however, wasn't paying attention.

"Somewhere hidden. Quick!" she hissed all of a sudden, scaring Elyon and Cornelia out of their wits. Worriedly, they stared at Will. The Keeper of the Heart was doubled over, her left hand holding her right clenched fist. Nevertheless, she somehow managed to stand up and push herself to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Her friends followed her frantically.

As soon as they were well hidden, Will opened her palm. Instantly the Heart of Kandrakar popped out of it, pulsing a very bright pink. Will heaved a sigh of relief. Only for the moment.

The Heart flashed and covered the five girls (yes, Elyon too) in a swath of pink light. The next moment, they were gone.

….

"Ugh…Professor McGonagall sure set us a ton of homework," Irma groaned.

"Oh come on, it's just a little charm about levitating," Hay Lin said lightly.

"Humph. Easy for you to say since you have control over air," Irma grunted enviously. Her bubbly friend giggled.

Suddenly, they disappeared in a flash of bright pink.

….

"Oof!" Cornelia grunted as she landed on something soft. The soft something turned out to be her best friend. She hastened to stand up, not wanting to crush her.

"You sure are heavy," Elyon groaned as she stumbled. She succeeded in standing on her second attempt.

"Am not!" Cornelia protested hotly.

"Are!" Elyon grinned. Teasing Cornelia is _sooo_ fun.

"Am not!"

"Are!"

"Am not!"

"Are!"

"AM _NOT!_"

"ARE SO!"

"Girls! Behave yourselves!" a reedy voice scolded. Hay Lin squealed in joy as she turned around to face her Yan Lin, her grandmother and ex-air Guardian of the Veil.

"Grandma!" She yelled and launched herself into her grandmother's waiting arms, inhaling the scent of jasmine oil with pleasure.

Yan Lin hugged her granddaughter affectionately for a moment before pulling away. "Girls, there is grave danger before you," she said seriously.

"When are we never?" Irma quipped.

"This is not a laughing matter, Irma," she admonished sharply. The water Guardian flinched and kept her mouth sealed. Yan Lin sighed and returned her attention to the more matured girls of the group.

"All of you know that Prince Phobos is a problem that is solved and done with. However, I would like to inform you that -"

"That he escaped? Oh man…." Irma wailed.

"No…" Elyon whispered shakily. This couldn't be happening!

"Stop jumping to conclusions, Irma. No, Prince Phobos is still safely locked away in the Tower of Mists. I want to tell you that -"

"We have a new mission?" Irma joked.

"Yes, you could say that. We have recently received some bad news. Prince Phobos was merely a henchman for another, who is far more powerful than he." The quirky water guardian gawked.

"_WHAT!_"

"NO!"

"This can't be happening!" Irma howled.

Elyon simply stood rooted to the spot, frozen. Her brother had been so powerful during his regime of power in Meridian, and now Yan Lin says that he was merely a henchman? Elyon shuddered. If so, she didn't want to think how powerful his master is.

"Who is his master, Yan Lin?" Will asked shakily. Her stomach was churning. Now she felt glad that she had missed breakfast, seeing the looks of nausea her friends bore on their faces.

"His master's whereabouts is currently unknown, but he originates from the school you now go to," Yan Lin said gravely. "His name is Tom Marvolo Riddle, better known as Lord Voldemort."

Taranee gasped. "You mean the one who recruited people called Death Eaters to kill?" Trust Taranee to read books in the school library as soon as she stepped into the castle. The elderly woman nodded. The fire Guardian's shoulders sagged.

"Who is he, Taranee?" Will pressed gently.

"He is the person who led the Death Eaters on mass killing sprees thirteen years back. He reigned supreme. No one could stand up to him. Until today, he is feared by so many that most people just refer to him as You-Know-Who."

"If he was that powerful, why didn't he take over Hogwarts as well?" Cornelia asked.

"I read that the man Lord Voldemort had probably ever feared was our Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore."

The other five girls stared at the fire handler in shock. (My, I seem to be giving them many shocks this time)

"A-Albus Dumbledore?"

"No way!"

"Why not? I mean, look at what he did for us! That seems to be a good example of complex magic," Hay Lin objected.

"What did he do for you girls?" Yan Lin wanted to know.

"He transferred the channeling of our powers into our wands, so now we can shoot out magic from our wands as well as our hands," Irma said as if it was the most pointless thing to do.

"He did, did he?" Yan Lin said appreciatively. "Yes, you are right, little one. That is indeed a complex bit of magic."

"Right. So if this Lord Voldemort is taking over everywhere, how come the places we've been to did not show any sign of wreckage or despair?" Will objected. Will, Will. Always the negative, aren't you?

"Rumour has it that Lord Voldemort mysteriously disappeared after killing a family whose surname was Potter. The weird thing was that Voldemort easily got rid of the adults, Lily and James Potter, but his curse backfired on him when he tried it on their son. Big parts of the mystery is still left unsolved," Taranee explained.

"Potter?" Will said in confusion. "Now where have I heard that name before…."

Cornelia's eyes widened in surprise. "Harry Potter! Don't you remember Irma gaping at that weird lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead?"

"Right! But that's weird…I would've thought that anyone who had been through all that horror should had been traumatized at the very least," Will muttered.

"He must've been strong," Hay Lin murmured.

Yan Lin clapped her hands. That got the Guardians' attention. "So, now you have a new mission: to rid the world of Lord Voldemort. Oh, and Your Majesty -"

"Elyon will do, Yan Lin. I've known you for years so there's no need to call me by my title," Elyon said with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

The elder woman chuckled. "Very well. Elyon then. If you are willing, I want you to assist the guardians in their task."

The teenager was taken aback. "You mean…team up with them?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

The young queen's face lit up in a smile. "No problem at all! I guess I'll be sticking with you girls then!"

"Welcome to the team, Elyon. Or should I say, Your Majesty," Will mocked, a smile pulling at her lips.

"Hey!"

"Be ready for your new mission, girls. The defeat of Prince Phobos is nothing compared to who you are about to face."

Irma groaned. Should she be happy or sad?

"Go back now, Guardians. You will be just in time for your lunch. Good luck Guardians," Yan Lin said in her reedy voice and waved her hand. Instantly the six girls shimmered and started to disappear.

"Wait, Grandma! I -" Hay Lin cried out desperately, reaching out to her grandmother.

"- want to ask you something," she said softly as the six girls reappeared in the glen. The bell rang, signifying the end of class and the start of lunch.

"Come on, I'm starving," Elyon said eagerly as she pulled Cornelia across the grounds. The remaining four girlfriends giggled and followed suit.

….

"Hey Ron," Harry whispered to his friend, his hands dirty with damp soil. In his right fist was a Bowtruckle, a long, thin stick man. It had tried to run away but Harry had caught up with it near the nursery, explaining Harry's soil-stained hands. "Did you see any of the girls?"

"Nope," the latter answered, focusing on the Bowtruckle he was supposed to be drawing.

_That's weird. I thought I saw them heading down with us to Herbalogy,_ Harry thought, frowning deeply. He then yelled in pain as the Bowtruckle he had been crushing in his fist gave him five deep scratches on his hand. He cursed under his breath and transferred the specimen to his other hand, examining his wounds. Blood was flowing freely from it. He sighed unhappily then returned the struggling Bowtruckle to Professor Sprout to go to the hospital wing where he can get his arm bandaged.

….

Harry reappeared from the hospital wing, nursing his arm. Right on cue, the bell rang shrilly, signifying lunchtime. _Maybe I'll meet her there,_ he thought hopefully as he walked to the Great Hall.

Sure enough, the four girls were already seated there, eating lamb chops with unwonted enthusiasm. Harry shrugged and seated himself not too far away from them, keeping an eye on Will.

"Hey Harry! Are you all right?" Hermione's anxious voice butted into his thoughts. Harry turned around. Sure enough, Hermione and Ron were walking quickly in his direction.

"Hi mate. Sorry we couldn't follow you earlier, I just had to finish that drawing," Ron apologized. "Here, you can borrow mine."

"Thanks. Let's tuck in now, shall we? I'm starving," said Harry as he picked his fork up and started enjoying his piece of lamb chops.

Will finished her meal first, being by far the hungriest of the lot. She sighed contentedly as she downed the rest of her lemonade down her throat. It gave her such a cool feeling in her insides.

Suddenly, she pushed her chair back. Her girlfriends stared at her dubiously. "I'm going to ask someone about something," she whispered, winking at them. They understood at once.

The redhead took a deep breath and walked purposefully towards a certain jet-black haired boy with a lightning bolt scar on his forehead. _This is going to be hard, _she reflected. _I hate wheedling information out of anyone._

….

I sat on my seat, eating my food with gusto. A sudden movement to my right caught my attention. I turned my head, just a little, to see Will standing up. She whispered something to her friends then push her chair back to its original position.

She then did something I never thought would happen. _She came towards me!_ I felt my heart pumping furiously, beating against my chest. My heart was beating so hard, I was surprised that no one else in the room could hear it too.

My heart skipped a beat when she hesitated for a short moment. I barely registered what Hermione was saying.

"Later," I murmured dismissively, my eyes trained on Will.

_Oh my God,_ I thought, my heart racing. She's coming closer! What am I supposed to do?

Closer and closer she came, until we were only several feet apart…my heart beat even more furiously now until it hurt.

I stared, mesmerized, into her beautiful brown orbs….

And then….

She...

….

There. The fourth chapter done. Why didn't anyone review? Was the third chapter that terrible? Tell me if so.


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